HotS Player distribution - Ranked season 1 2018

The official player distribution for the first ranked season of 2018. Data provided by Travis McGeathy, lead game designer for Heroes of the Storm.

The community demanded an updated ranked player distribution as Blizzard released the latest official one during the first season of 2016.

2016 Ranked Season 1

Bronze: 11%

Silver: 35%

Gold: 23%

Platinum: 16%

Diamond: 14%

Master: 1%

GM: <1%

The lead game designer, Travis McGeathy, responded to their request with a comment on Reddit, revealing the distribution for the current season:

2018 Ranked Season 1

Bronze: 7%

Silver: 35%

Gold: 35%

Platinum: 15%

Diamond: 7%

Master: 1%

I should note, those are the targets. Actual numbers vary a bit as the season goes on (for example, hardcore players tend to place earlier than more casual players), but roughly fall in line with that over time.

We aren’t aiming for a normal distribution, but rather one that makes sense and feels good for the majority of players. High ranks should feel exclusive, but not impossible to reach, while lower ranks should allow for movement while still containing the majority of players.

For bronze specifically, no one wants to be in the bottom tier, but someone has to be on the bottom. So, bronze exists, but is a relatively small number of players.

— Travis McGeathy

Gold represents the average player. According to this updated distribution, Gold is the average tier as it includes players from 42 to 77 percentile.

Bronze for low-end casuals. The percentage of Bronze players decreased in the past years, which can be seen as a reasonable skill increase in the community.

More Gold, less Diamond players. We assume that the tiers have been reorganized over time, and now the Diamond tier is composed of more experienced players.

The elite remained the same. Master and Grand Master percentages are unchanged.

This is all the info we have so far, but I will update this article if more details will be disclosed.

Header image: Blizzard

Vincenzo "Skulz" Milella

Vincenzo is an esports writer with five years of experience. Former head editor for Natus Vincere, he has produced content for DreamHack, FACEIT, DOTAFire, 2P, and more. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.